Illegal webtoon site blocked 137 times—but it changes its address and reopens

[Financial News] Cases of illegal webtoon and video sites reopening under new addresses after access blocking have continued to recur. The number of deliberation and corrective-action requests involving replacement sites has exceeded 16,000 over the past four years.
According to data submitted by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) to Hwang Jeong-a, a lawmaker of the Democratic Party of Korea on the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, there were 24,297 requests for corrective action involving access to copyright-infringing information from 2023 through August this year.
Of these, 16,390 cases, or 67.5% of the total, involved repeated deliberation and corrective-action requests after existing sites changed their addresses or opened replacement sites.
The annual number of deliberation and corrective-action requests involving replacement sites was 6,236 in 2023, 5,771 in 2024, 1,877 in 2025, and 2,506 through August this year.
HOOHOO TV had the highest number of repeated blocks, at 205. It was followed by Ajitoon with 146, Newtoki with 137, and TVWiki and TVChak with 117 each.
Repeated blocking has continued this year as well. TVWiki and Newtoki were blocked 82 and 45 times, respectively, through August, while Booktoki and Manatoki were each blocked 28 times.
Experts point out that access blocking alone has limitations in preventing the redistribution of illegal content, as modified addresses and replacement sites continue to emerge even after existing addresses are blocked.
In fact, searches for the names of major illegal sites on overseas search platforms such as Google have shown cases in which the sites appeared near the top of the search results. This means users can easily find other addresses through searches even when direct access to the sites is blocked.
The KCSC explained that, after deciding to block access to copyright-infringing information, it provides blocking lists to major domestic internet service providers (ISPs) and content delivery network (CDN) operators.
However, no cases were found in which the commission requested investigations or provided materials to relevant agencies in connection with copyright infringement.
Hwang Jeong-a said, "The KCSC should, as a basic step, directly request investigations and strengthen cooperation with major overseas platform operators. It must rapidly share information on infringing and replacement sites and develop effective alternatives, such as restricting their exposure in search results."
[email protected] Jang Min-kwon Reporter